Turbine-drive of gyroscopic steering-gears of torpedoes.



A. E. TUNES. TURBINE DRIVE OF GYEOSUDPIC STEERING GEARS OP TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

954,634. Q Patented Apr. 12,1910.

I A. E. JONES. TURBINE DRIVE 01" GYROSCOPIG STEERING GEARS or TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED H0V.18, 1908.

' Patented Apr. 12, '1910.

F12 5. i V

| I If ALBERT EDWARD JONES, 0F FI'UME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

TURBINE-DRIVE 02F GYROSCOPIG STEERING-GEARS '01? TORPEDOES.

Specification 0! Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Application filed November 18, 1908. Serial No. 463,213.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,ALBERT EPWARD J ONES, subject of His Majesty the Kmg of Great Britain, residing at Fiume, in the Kingdom of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbine- Drives of Gyroscopic Steering-Gears of Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to turbinedri-ves of rosco stee ears. It is fvell k iihvi i that in side steering gears of torpedoes based u on the free axis principle of a cardanica y suspended fly wheel, the latter is held in a certain normal position and set in very rapid rotation during the launching. To convert the axis of the fly wheel held fast at the moment of launching into a free axis, the system of gyroscope rings must be released at .the end of the launching. If the fly wheel is formed by-a turbine wheel driven by compressed air, it .is necessnrythat at the moment of releasing the gyroscopic system, the compressed air is cut oil as -otherwise the jet of compressed air might have a diverting efi'ect upon the released fly wheel. Hence, in compressed air driven gyrosco es after launchin it becomes not only essential to bring back 1:- 1e members holding fast the gyroscope system from their operative into their preliminary position, but the compressed air channels leading to the driving :nozzlcs also in view of avoiding loss ofnir must also be cut oil.

My invention has for its object to provide a special device whereby after a certain lapse of time after the opening of the air lever, the compressed air channel leading to the turbine drive can be closed and the said retaining devices drawn back into their inoperative position. And in order that my invention may be more full understood I have caused to be appendet hereunto two sheets of drawings marked with characters of reference indicating like parts in the verb ous figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the" axis of the rotating body of a device constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 a sectional plan on line A--.B of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a vertical section on line CPD of Filg. 1 as seen from the left. Fig. 4 a vertica section. on line -E-F of Fig. 1 as seen from the right showing the members in operative position. Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4 in which the members are shown in a position of rest. Fig. 6 is a detached section on line G-H of Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention and referring to the figures generally I employ in the channel 11 leading to the air nozzle a of the turbine drive, a piston valve 0 which in the position shown in Fig. 2 opens the air channel b and when axially displaced brings its solid part in front of the air channel and thereby cuts it 011?. The free end of the valve 0 is .acted upon by an an ular lever d placed under the influence o a spring f supported by a projection 12 on the casing which thus tends to force the valve c in the casing g to abut against the screwed plug 17; in this end position the valve is opened. This tendency is counteracted by the compressed cir acting upon the back of the valve 0.

In order to permit the compressed air to act upon the back of the valves after .a controllable lapse of time, that .is .to say, .to enter the part i of the valve casing g, this part z is not directly connected with the compressed air channel I) but indirectly by the insertion of two chambers m, n; by

means of a narrow channel 2 furnished with a sieve to prevent clogging, the chamber m is in conununicatiou with the air channel I) while the chamber n on the one hand is in communication by means of the channel 3 and a small hole 5 .in the .lid 4 with the cylinder m and on the other hand by means of the channel 14 (see Fig. 6) with the cut off part a of the valve casing in which the enarged head h of the valve 0 slides. Owing to the said arrangement the valve 0 will remain in the open position while the pressure of the spring f exceeds the counter pressure of the compressed air in the cut on part i and will be closed when the pressure in the latter exceeds the pressure of the spring. The setting of the members which bring and retain the gyroscopic system in normal position as well as for the return to their iuopcrutive position, takes place also by the combined notion of the pressure of the spring f and the compressed air upon the valve head It. As described in specifications belonging to Letters Patent granted to Ludwig ()bry No. 562235 and to A. E. Jones No. (5213M the setting and retaining members of the said ring system consist of an uxiullv dis plnccuble center pin 2 which enters a boss'u. rigidly secured to the horizontal ring c in whereby the the continuation of the axis a: of the rotary body A and also of an oscillating fork t the boss of which is mounted in tlie casm wall concentrically to the center pin can the prongs 18 of which in a raised position sharply embrace the rectangular section of the vertical ring when in a fPOSllilOll ap proximately 90 agrees distant rom IlIS BXIS and thus lie below two plums of the hor1z onto! ring =0 situated at both sides of the pivot 16 of the said ring, whereby both rings'v and w are brou ht into and retained 1n their normal position; in the bottom pos1- tion the prongs 18 of the fork} l1e around a reduced part of the vertical r1ng w situated near the axis of rotation and therefore in this position perfectly release both the rings 'u w.

The center pin 2 is actuated by the upper arm of a T like or three armed .lever the middle arm of which carries a crank pin 10 while against the lower arm presses a spring 9 bearing against a proyection 13 rlgidpn the frame and furnished with aspring steadying stud 19.

The fork t is actuated by the aid of two cams p, g secured to its boss at approximately a right angle and that of a carrier 6 (hereinafter described) movable between these two cams which according to whether it slides on the inside of the upper or lower part of the two cams lowers or raises the fork t.

The members 2 and t are actuated b the angular lever d which is under the com med action of the pressure of the spring and the compressed air in the following manner: To

the downwardly pointing arm of the angular lever d is pivoted aslide rod 9 which carries two horizontal carriers 6 and 7 by the aid of which it is guided in the vertical slot 0 of the casing wall and which on the one hand acts u on the crank pm 10 of the armed lever is o the center pin 2 and on the other hand against the cams f, g which are on the boss of the fork it. Be ore launchin the lever 43 and the valve 0 under the so e influence of the spring f, will take up the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 4, in which the air inlet to turbine nozzle s open and the rod 1' together with the carriers 6 and 7 will be drawn down. Due to this position of the member 6,, the fork t and the center pin a are retained in their operative position 01? part i of the valve casing in which the woscopic system is maintained in its norma position. At the moment of air pressure gradually increases accordin to entrance 0 the air and final! y will reaci such a height that the pressure acting upon the head It of the valve 0 will exceed that of the spring f which causes the valve 0 to be forced forward in the direction of the arrow 2 until its head It abuts against the easing projection i and will be closed. The n'iovenient of the valve turns the lever d, the slide rod 2* together with the carriers 6 and 7, are raised, the carrier 6 acting against the underside of the upper cam, sets it vertically and thereby causes the fork t to move down, after which the lower carrier abuts from below against the crank pin 10 and thereby throws the three armed lever is under the influence of its spring 9 into the end posi tion shown in 1 1n dotted lines, in which the center pin a is withdrawn from the boss u. By means of this dual action of the member 1' the gyroscopic system will be perfectly released.

If torpedoes are simply launched for examination or practice the back of the valve 0 will be relieved from pressure after the air vessel has been emptied and the same will be returned again to its open position by the spring f only; the carrier 6 of the slide rod 2 acts upon the lower cam g of the fork t and raises the latter whereby the two rings '0 and w are turned into their normal position after which near the end of the stroke the said carrier pressin from above against the middle arm of the ever is under the influence of its spring g, will throw the latter into the positlon shown in Fi 1 in full lines, so that the center pin a wil enter the boss u of the horizontal axis of the rotary body and will again retain the latter in its normal position.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:

1. In a gryoscope steerin gear for toredoes in which the rotary liody is driven iy compressed air, the combination of the locking members of the rotary body of the gyrosco e, with a cut oil piston valve inserted into the compressed air conduit of the driving nozzle, a compressed air conduit to the closed rear part of the valve casing and a spring actuated lever, acting against the free end of said piston all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a gyroscope steering gear for torpedoes in which the rotar body is driven by compressed air, the combination of the locking members of the rotary body of the gyroscope, with a cut oil piston valve inserted into the compressed air conduit of the driving nozzle, a compressed air conduit connocted to the closed rear part of the valve casing and a spring actuated lover acting: against the free end of said piston with two onset or more chambers inserted between the air conduit leading to the rear part of the said slide valve casing and with narrow channels connecting said chambers all substum tially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a. gyroscope steering gear for torpedoes in which the rotary body is driven by compressed air, the combination of the 100k ing members of the rotary body of the gyroscope, with a cut off piston valve inserted into the compressed air conduit of the driving nozzle, a compressed air conduit connected to the closed rear part of the valve casing and a spring actuated lever acting a inst the free end of said iston, a rod 1' pivoted to said lever, two orizontal can riers 6 and 7, carried b the said rod, 9. sprmg actuated tilting ever, actuated b suul carriers, a retaining pin 2 of the hon- 3 zo tel axis of the rotating body operated by said tilting lever, two cams p, g secured to the axis of said oscillating locking member and operated by the upper of the two carrlers, all substantially as and for the pun pose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES.

Witnesses:

G. ANDREW MORIARTY, Jr, MATEO CLEMENTS. 

